Islanders Give Up 2 Goals in 22 Seconds in Loss to Jets

Adam Lowry (17) of the Jets putting the go-ahead score past Islanders goalie Thomas Greiss in the third period on Tuesday night.CreditCreditBruce Bennett/Getty Images

By The Associated Press

Dec. 4, 2018

Jacob Trouba and Adam Lowry scored 22 seconds apart early in the third period, rallying the Winnipeg Jets to a 3-1 victory over the host Islanders on Tuesday night.

Nikolaj Ehlers added an empty-net goal with 2.1 seconds left and Connor Hellebuyck stopped 27 shots as Winnipeg won for the fifth time in six games.

The Jets have three straight road wins for the first time this season after completing a sweep of their three-game trip to the New York area. Winnipeg beat the Devils, 4-3, in overtime on Saturday, and then won, 4-3, in a shootout against the Rangers on Sunday. The Jets scored three goals after the second period in each of the three wins.

“We believe in our system, and when you believe in something, good things start to come,” Hellebuyck said. “It’s huge to get all six points on the three games here. A key for your season.”

Anders Lee scored for the Islanders, who have lost three of four. Thomas Greiss finished with 21 saves. Despite the loss, the Islanders seemed pleased with how they played.

“We had some really good opportunities to score, and Hellebuyck kept a lot of them out,” Lee said. “Credit to him on those, but for the most part, we did play a pretty good game.”

Lee broke a scoreless tie 1 minute 33 seconds into the third period when he knocked down Johnny Boychuk’s shot from the right point and beat Hellebuyck from the left side for his 10th goal. It gave Lee four goals and six points in the last six games.

Trouba tied it on the power play with a slap shot from the blue line for his third at 3:39. Lowry put the Jets ahead as he scored on a rebound of Brandon Tanev’s shot in front for his fifth at 4:01.

After a brisk first period in which neither team created a lot of chances, both picked up the pace in the second. Winnipeg, outshot by 8-3 in the first, had a 15-12 edge in the middle period.

The Islanders’ best try of the period came about six minutes in when Hellebuyck stopped Lee’s tip try in front and then denied Jordan Eberle’s follow attempt. Greiss made two stellar saves on Kyle Connor late in the second to keep the game scoreless. First, he stopped Connor’s try in front, and then he made a shoulder save lunging to his right on Connor’s follow.

The Islanders had the first five shots of the game but then went nine minutes between Nick Leddy’s slap shot from beyond the left circle at 7:48 and Valtteri Filppula’s attempt from the edge of the left circle with 3:08 remaining.

Winnipeg did not get its first shot on goal until Tyler Myers’s try from the right point 9:11 in, and then had nothing after Blake Wheeler’s slap shot from the right circle with 8:01 left in the opening period.